Lu Mingfei: Don't call me a loser, call me a hero.

Xia Mi had no idea that the junior she had found was actually Lu Mingfei's cousin's crush. She gossiped:

"It seems he really likes you. He must have been very attentive to you, right?"

"Yeah, he often treats me to snacks and drinks, and sometimes when we go out to eat together, he even fights to pay the bill. I feel like I've gained weight." The junior student greatly admired this incredibly beautiful and influential senior student, answering all her questions:

"A few days ago, I had my eye on a new MP3 player, but it was a bit pricey, so I had to save up for a while. Then Lu Mingze said he had a solution and told me to wait for his good news."

At this point, the junior looked at Lu Mingfei and said, "Senior, do you get so much pocket money at home? You can just buy an MP3 player that costs three or four hundred yuan without a second thought."

Lu Mingfei immediately thought of the purpose behind Lu Mingze knocking on his bamboo pole the night before last.

At the time, he thought the chubby boy was just greedy and wanted to take all his pocket money.

So, it was all just to curry favor with the girl he liked?

He's incredibly generous with money when it comes to strangers, but he's all about his heart and his wallet when it comes to his brothers.

Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth, his facial muscles taut.

He remembered how Lu Mingze often said things like, "You're doing this and that in my house," ordering him around to do this and that, taking advantage of him more than once or twice. And because of his aunt's pressure, he could only do as she said each time, feeling like he was holding back a fire inside him.

You wretched little fatso, just you wait!

I'll make sure "Sunset" has an extra heartless father, a critically ill mother, a young brother, and a conman who cheats her out of money and sex. If you want to save her from this predicament, be prepared to spend 388,000!

He was furious inside, but he had to hold it in, after all, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. He could only force a smile: "It's alright, he does have a lot of pocket money."

Xia Mi sensed something was wrong: "What about your allowance?"

Lu Mingfei's smile vanished: "I'm just staying at my uncle's house, so I'm fine with the pocket money."

Even the most naive junior could tell something was wrong.

Lu Mingze often boasted at school about how good his family was to his cousin, but his cousin was ungrateful and lazy, which he used to elevate himself.

She didn't think much of it at the time, but now that she sees it, things don't seem to be the same.

Xia Mi seemed to be deep in thought. It turned out that the bad luck that Lu Mingfei was experiencing was not only due to his low status at school, but also due to the pressure from his family.

It was under one roof, being silently trampled down day after day, without physical violence, only being cut with a soft knife.

She looked at Lu Mingfei and thought to herself that this kid was indeed quite tragic, having been hurt by reality time and time again.

So she didn't expose the last shred of decorum that Lu Mingfei was trying to maintain, and changed the subject:

"By the way, junior, aren't you planning to learn piano? Have you found a suitable piano training class yet?"

The younger student understood immediately and changed the subject: "Found it, found it! It's at the Nie Er Piano Training Center in the Children's Palace. I've been practicing there for over half a month."

However, these words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, shattering Lu Mingfei's psychological defenses:

"What a coincidence, Lu Mingze also enrolled in the summer course at that piano training center."

His tone was as flat as a frozen lake, without ripples or warmth, only the faint cracking sound that could be heard beneath the ice.

Meeting the surprised gaze of his junior, Lu Mingfei realized that he had been kept in the dark all along.

My uncle said that enrolling Lu Mingze in piano lessons during the summer vacation was a premeditated plan, and the so-called opportunity to give him peace of mind to play games was just an excuse to fool him.

Who in their right mind would create opportunities for their child to play video games during the transition from the second to the third year of high school?

It must be that Lu Mingze knew the girl he had a crush on was learning piano, and he kept pestering her to go with him. His aunt had no choice but to agree, but she didn't want to bring Lu Mingfei along, so she deliberately put on this show.

No wonder my aunt didn't get angry when I laughed out loud at the dinner table yesterday; it turns out I had something to hide.

[Status: Awakened 50%]

He smiled calmly, his eyes like a still pond: "Congratulations, junior, you two can be classmates again this summer."

Just as Xia Mi said, Lu Mingfei really couldn't hide his emotions; he liked to wear them on his face. Sadness and sorrow were written all over his face.

At this moment, he was like a country bumpkin who had come to the city to set traps for rabbits. He was simple and honest, and could not imagine how deep the schemes in the city were, or how ruthless relatives could be.

The junior student was at a loss, not knowing what she had said wrong that caused him to be so upset, but the wise senior sister Xia Mi had already seen through everything.

She patted her junior on the shoulder, telling the child to leave first, and that she would handle things here.

The junior student felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly left, leaving behind only a worried look in her eyes.

"It seems your uncle's family isn't treating you very well." Xia Mi didn't immediately stab Lu Mingfei in the heart, but proceeded step by step:

"If you don't mind, you can talk to your senior sister about your troubles."

Teenage boys are all stubbornly proud and arrogant. They only confide in their brothers when they have problems. Even if they suffer a great injustice in front of girls, they will still suffer for the sake of saving face.

But Lu Mingfei was so stimulated today that he felt like he was turning into a pressure cooker if he didn't vent.

"Well, it's really just so-so." Lu Mingfei glanced at the harmonious circle of people in the distance, his voice tinged with an indescribable melancholy:

"My parents work abroad and have sent me to live with my uncle. They send me living expenses every month."

Although I don't know the exact amount, it must be quite a lot.

In just one year, his uncle moved to a new house, bought a new car, and even got a new luxury watch. His aunt quit her job to play mahjong full-time. Lu Mingze spent money like water at school and earned the nickname "Prince Ze".

My situation is rather unfortunate. My aunt is afraid I'll go astray and waste my time outside, so she strictly controls my allowance to prevent me from falling into bad habits.

His voice was devoid of resentment or complaint; it was calm and indifferent, as if it were none of his business.

But this precisely illustrates his tragedy. When a person can express their deepest pain in such a calm tone, it means they have become accustomed to it and numb to it.

Xia Mi frowned upon hearing this: "They actually took the money and didn't do the job?"

"I have no worries about food and drink, and I can even afford to attend Shilan Middle School, the best school in the city. How can that not be considered a success?" Lu Mingfei was amused by Xia Mi's words. "It's just that my aunt doesn't like my mother, and she doesn't like me very much either."

"So you go to great lengths to please your uncle, aunt, and cousin at home, doing everything they ask you to do, never arguing when they scold you, and never complaining when they take away your allowance, all just to make them like you?"

Xia Mi couldn't stand it any longer and spoke her mind:

"And that club president you've been desperately trying to please, running errands under the scorching sun, enduring all the grievances in silence, agreeing to every request she makes—do you think that'll win her favor or affection?"

"Wake up, junior brother!" She reached out and turned Lu Mingfei's head, forcing him to look at her:

"You don't like Chen Wenwen, and you're not trying to please your uncle and aunt; you just want someone to love you."

"You're so starved for love that you cling to anything that looks like love, even if it's just your illusion."

"Junior brother, love yourself before loving others. If you don't even love yourself, who can you expect to love you?"

[Status: Awakened 60%]